Former Minister Bikram Pandey Among 22 Charged in Electronic Procurement System Hacking Case

The District Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu has filed charges against former minister Bikram Pandey and 21 others for allegedly hacking the electronic procurement system of Public Procurement Monitoring Office and manipulating tender bids. Government authorities registered the case at the Kathmandu District Court on Sunday following an investigation by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police.

The charge sheet accuses government employees and construction entrepreneurs of colluding to alter bid details. Among those indicted are Diwakar Deuja, a computer operator at the Urban and Building Construction Project in Dhankuta, Bharat Dhami, and several other officials, along with Pandey and multiple contractors. Investigators allege that the group created a fake website resembling the official government portal, through which they accessed confidential bid information such as quoted amounts, lowest bids, and second-place offers. This data was then used to contact contractors, adjust amounts, and secure contracts.

Contractor Sanjay Bhatt disclosed during his statement to CIB that he received emails claiming to be from Public Procurement Monitoring Office (PPMO) staff. The emails congratulated him and revealed that his bid was Rs 21 million higher than the second-lowest bidder. He was then offered a “demo login” and password, granting unauthorized access to the system, with promises to adjust bids to ensure contract awards. Bhatt further revealed that he was asked to pay Rs 5.6 million, of which he transferred Rs 2.3 million worth of Bitcoin through a contact in the United States. Police noted that cryptocurrency was used to conceal transactions, despite its prohibition under Nepali law.

Pandey’s company, Kalika Construction, has also been named in the case. The charge sheet alleges the company initially quoted Rs 670 million for a contract, later reducing it to Rs 600 million after unauthorized access. Pandey has denied involvement, stating he had no knowledge of how his company’s name appeared in the case. “I have no information about unauthorized access to the portal in connection with Kalika Construction. I cannot explain how my company’s name has been linked,” he said in his statement.

CIB has filed three primary charges against the accused: unauthorized access to government electronic systems, organized crime, and illegal cryptocurrency transactions. Police described the incident not as a routine cybercrime but as a deliberate attack on a critical government system tied to billions of rupees in development projects, raising serious concerns about Nepal’s cyber security.

The case has been filed against Diwakar Deuja, Sanjay Bhatt, Bharat Dhami, Bhaskar Raj Aryal, Sagar Katuwal, Jivan Kumar Das, Anil Shrestha, Tanka Kumar Shrestha, Amrit Bohora, Bikram Pandey, Swadesh Pokharel, Prakash Dhungana, Rishikesh Gauli, Rahul Jung Karki, Narayan Prasad Mitikhu, Indra Bahadur Bohora, Shanta Kumar Shrestha, Niranjan Khanal, Krishna Bahadur Khatri, Jyoti Subedi, Saroj Dahal, and Sujan Adhikari.